“We think he went from the Quay in Waterford City by boat to Fishguard harbour in Wales,” he added.

“Nothing was ever heard of him again. There was a suggestion that he could have gone to New Zealand but he could be anywhere.“I was only five years of age at the time but I would love to make contact with him if he is still alive or with relatives who know about him.”

Frank suspects his brother made his way to England at first then headed to New York, a well-trodden route for the Irish in those days.

He’s found a James O’Neill listed on a ship’s manifest from 1952 that sailed to New York and suspects it might be Jimmy.